title: Aptamers: novel molecules as diagnostic markers in bacterial and viral infections?
abstract: Worldwide the entire human population is at risk of infectious diseases of which a high degree is caused by pathogenic protozoans, worms, bacteria, and virus infections. Moreover the current medications against pathogenic agents are losing their efficacy due to increasing and even further spreading drug resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover novel diagnostic as well as therapeutic tools against infectious agents. In view of that, the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) represents a powerful technology to target selectively pathogenic factors as well as entire bacteria or viruses. SELEX uses a large combinatorial oligonucleic acid library (DNA or RNA) which is processed a by high-flux in vitro screen of iterative cycles. The selected ligands, termed aptamers, are characterized by high specificity and affinity to their target molecule, which are already exploited in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. In this minireview we will discuss the current status of the SELEX technique applied on bacterial and viral pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes 1374, 05508-000 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávia M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Zimbres
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tárnok
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ulrich
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wrenger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D052156:SELEX Aptamer Technique; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D015415:Biomarkers